HP introduced its first "sub-portable" notebook PC in 1993. The Omnibook 300 was the smallest computer on the market that incorporated a full-size keyboard and screen. These small computers from the mid-1990s are too recent to be within the museum's normal scope. However, they are included because the Omnibooks offered interesting technologies in a category where HP had traditionally struggled and at a time when products were becoming increasingly undifferentiated. The most obvious feature of the Omnibook was its small size. These machines also featured "instant-on" power up and an infrared communications port which eliminated the need for interface cables in certain applications.

The Omnibooks achieved their small size by not including a built-in floppy disc. While this feature had proved a severe limitation for the Portable and Portable Plus , it was less of an issue for the Omnibooks because most included an internal hard disc and the external floppy drive was convenient to use due to its very small size and the fact that it drew its power directly from the Omnibook (for the Omnibook 600 and 800). The Omnibooks were not friendly to left-handed people. These portable computers included a very clever pop-out mouse that could retract from the right side of the machine. The only other pointing device was an optional external mouse connected to the computer's serial port.

Click here, to see Gene Wright's video overview of the early Omnibooks.

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